Salvi, Durbin Push Old Views In New Locales

Hopefuls Stress Stands In Mainly Friendly Territory

The state's bickering U.S. Senate candidates, having exhaustively attacked each other, on Sunday fired their barrages from new locations.

There was Al Salvi, the Republican from Chicago's suburbs, telling rallies and church congregations in conservative but largely Democratic Southern Illinois that Dick Durbin is hunkered down in the city of Chicago.

And there was Durbin, the Democratic congressman from Springfield, after brunch-hopping in moderate Republican territory along the North Shore, warning about Salvi's appeal to "gun nuts Downstate" who lead the Illinois affiliate of the National Rifle Association.

In other major races, candidates were feverishly shaking hands at churches, bowling allies, groceries and homes, almost for want of anything better to do with Tuesday's election two days away.

"I think most Chicagoans have their minds made up in this election. I don't think they're waiting for much more information," said U.S. Rep. Michael Flanagan (R-Ill.), fighting to retain his seat in the North Side's 5th Congressional District.

His Democratic opponent, state Rep. Rod Blagojevich, largely agreed, saying: "I tend to think this race has been decided one way or the other. But we've worked so hard that it just wouldn't seem right to stop now."

The Senate candidates, meanwhile, demonstrated similar strategies by appealing to potential crossover voters who may feel uncomfortable with their party's nominee.

Salvi spent most of his day attacking Durbin for supporting gun-control measures, abortion rights and gay rights during a campaign appeal to conservative Downstate Democrats.

Leaving the First Baptist Church of Marion, he spied in the vestibule a stack of Christian Coalition voter guides highlighting his differences with Durbin.

"Look at that. I did pretty good," Salvi said, reviewing the flier. "The key is to get out your positions on the issues. If I can do that, I'll win. I think my positions on all these issues are mainstream. I'm with the vast majority of Illinoisans."

At a rally in Cahokia, Salvi came to tears, as did some audience members, as he described so-called partial-birth abortions and asked, "Is there no shame? Is there no depth we won't reach?"

At several stops over the weekend, the former state representative from the Wauconda area portrayed for his Downstate audiences a Chicago besieged by evil, and Durbin in the middle of it all trying to take away average folks' rifles and other guns.

"Congressman Durbin has decided to hunker down in the city of Chicago and lock arms with the Far Left," Salvi said at one rally. "The hunters of Southern Illinois are not the ones causing the crime in the city of Chicago. Congressman Durbin is wrong when he goes after you."

At the Springfield airport, he told a crowd: "You NRA members aren't causing the crime in Chicago. Farmers aren't doing drive-by shootings."

Durbin, meanwhile, underscored his positions on gun control while tripping through the North Shore suburbs and the North Side. He worked breakfast crowds in Wilmette, Winnetka and Glencoe, all of which have local gun-possession ordinances tougher than state law.

Lt. Gov. Bob Kustra, a moderate Republican who lost to Salvi in the March primary, ran strongly in such areas.

Though greeted by some diehard Republicans supporting Salvi, Durbin also encountered plenty of voters who said they couldn't stomach Salvi's opposition to gun control and abortion and voiced support for the Democrat's attacks on the NRA and its state affiliate, the Illinois State Rifle Association.

Durbin continued to hold Salvi responsible for alleging that gun-control activist James Brady, wounded in the 1981 assassination attempt on former President Reagan, had once peddled machine guns. Brady never sold machine guns, and Salvi has since apologized for the remark. But Durbin insisted that the controversy over Salvi's statement would help him win votes in traditionally Republican communities.

"The garlic's in the soup when it comes to guns and Salvi," Durbin said. "He'll never get it out."

Durbin also assailed Salvi's support from leaders of pro-gun groups.

"I have been around these gun nuts Downstate," Durbin said, "and I know they're irrational and mean."